The Magic Factory

Oliver looked over at Esther. She was poised, her focus on the shield she was projecting.

“How did you know I’d try to leave?” Oliver asked her.

“I can read you pretty easily,” Esther said. “That and the fact you didn’t put your overalls in the locker.”

So much for getting away with it, Oliver thought.

“But why are you helping me?” he asked. “I thought you were against me leaving.”

“I trust you, Oliver,” Esther replied earnestly. “I saw what you did during switchit, you know, how you changed your hands into steel. That’s such advanced stuff. You must be very powerful to do it. So I should trust that you know what you’re doing.”

Her support meant the world to him.

“Thank you,” he whispered. Then he looked back at Edmund. “What do we do about him?”

Esther smiled. “I have an idea.”

She let her shield drop. Immediately, Edmund charged at Oliver.

“Duck!” Esther cried.

Oliver leaped to the side out of Edmund’s way. Edmund tripped, falling to his knees. Then Esther spun, forcing out one of her pulsating sonar shields. It acted like a wave, pushing Edmund across the floor in the direction of the sleep pods.

There was an open one in place. Oliver immediately realized what Esther was attempting to do. He hurried after Edmund and reached him just as another one of Esther’s wave surges pushed him into the open pod. Before he even had a chance to sit up, Oliver pressed his arm across Edmund’s chest, pinning him in place. With his spare hand, he grabbed the white wires and stuck the pads to Edmund’s temples.

“Get off me!” Edmund cried angrily.

He shoved at Oliver’s arm, but Oliver held firm. Then Esther appeared by Oliver’s side. She reached inside the pod and pressed the white button.

“NO!” Edmund cried, realizing too late what was happening.

A split second later, Edmund fell into a deep, unconscious sleep.

Esther slammed the lid down and pushed the button that sent the pod floating off into the atrium. She waved as it flew away.

“Sleep well, Edmund.”

Oliver turned to her. “That was awesome!” he said.

Esther smiled. But the moment was bittersweet. Because Oliver knew that now he really had to say goodbye. He had to leave her, possibly forever.

“Esther… I…” he began, his voice cracking.

But Esther just shook her head. “Save the goodbyes for later,” she told him, sternly. “First we have to get you out of this place.”

Oliver’s eyes widened. “You mean you’ll help me escape?”

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “You didn’t really think you’d be able to get out on your own, did you? Come on. Let’s go.”

They ran across the atrium and hurried through the airlock, then emerged out into the main atrium. It was pitch-black and completely silent. The only light source came from the very top floor.

“The teachers must be in the sixth dimension,” Oliver whispered to Esther.

“We’ll have to sneak past them,” Esther said.

They got into the elevator and rode it to the top floor. Then they stepped out onto the walkway and scurried across it until they reached the bouncy netting and the slide that led up from it.

Oliver peered up. The slide was so long he couldn’t see the top. The sides were completely smooth, with not a single ridge to use as a foothold. Climbing it would be impossible.

“Now what?” Esther whispered.

It was their only way out of the school. Oliver realized that he’d have to use his powers.

“I have an idea,” he told her.

Oliver closed his eyes to help calm his mind. He summoned his powers then visualized his hands turning into suckers. As he unfocused his grip on reality, he forced the new image out in its place. When he looked down, his hands had indeed transformed.

Esther blinked with shock. “What are those?”

“Suckers,” Oliver said, waving them. “For climbing.”

“Are you expecting me to hold on?” Esther asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Got any better ideas?” Oliver countered.

Esther sighed with reluctant acceptance. She jumped up on Oliver’s back, clinging tightly to him. Oliver began to climb up the inside of the slide.

It was hard going, both physically on his limbs and mentally holding onto the reality of his suckered hands. It was made even harder going by the extra weight of Esther. She was gripping on so tightly around his neck that it was making it difficult for him to breathe.

“Esther,” he croaked. “You’re strangling me.”

“Sorry,” she said, barely loosening her hold.

Oliver climbed on.

A moment later, Esther whispered in his ear. “I hope you know this doesn’t count as our second date.”

Oliver felt his lips twitch at the side. “No. We’ll go on a real one when I get back.”

They both fell into tense silence. There was no guarantee Oliver would ever make it back.

At last they reached the top of the slide. They clambered out, emerging into the narrow corridor. Oliver remembered following Ralph along it on his arrival at the school and felt a pang of grief for his absent friend. At least he had Esther by his side. For now, anyway.

They headed along on hands and knees until the ceiling was high enough for them to stand. Then they hurried along the corridors, following the winding paths to the main door.

They halted. This was where Professor Amethyst’s invisible wall was.

Oliver reached out and touched its surface. It felt like a bubble, like elastic resisting him. He pushed and felt it push back. Just as he suspected, it was impenetrable. He looked over at Esther.